Rounding the Corner and Coming Up on 3 Years

• It's almost May and we know what that means. 3 years. 3 years since I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. 3 years ago today I was lying in a hospital bed, waiting for a bunch of test results, wondering, worrying why I was so fatigued, why I was getting nightly fevers and chills and sweats. My daily bike ride had become a real chore. I couldn't get a deep breath. Well, we sure did figure it out, didn't we. May 2, Friday this week is that 3 year cancerversary.
• This Friday is also day 11, aka the last day, of this chemo cycle.  Next week we'll do all the labs and I'm planning on seeing another drop in those myeloma numbers. With that, I imagine my doctors, Phan and Berenson, will give the nod to go back to maintenance. Maintenance sounds so easy compared to this ass kicking Treanda (bendamustine) that I've been on. It might kick my ass but it is also kicking myeloma's ass. So I'll take it.
• This Friday is also acupuncture. I discovered a new place and went there for the first time last week. Hour and half, and I felt great. Needles front and back. A little electrical stimulation. A little massage. And a little healing energy. Three years ago, I would have said hooey to this stuff. But I'll tell you what it works.  When I started acupuncture  a couple of years ago, we focused on my kidneys and they came back to life. The treanda right now adds a beating to the kidneys, so my creatinin has been inching up. Not good. But with acupuncture and with going back to maintenance and with a decrease in my output of the bad myeloma proteins, I looking forward to a kidney recovery soon. I've never done dialysis and don't plan on it. I've added things to my diet that were previously restricted. So I'm tightening up on the kidney diet. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I can handle chemo but dialysis scares the living crap out of me. That's a real life changer. My plan..avoid it. Remember my first kidney doctor, doc Zoller, had me scheduled for dialysis and liked to talk about death a lot. Fuck her, we dumped her ass and I'm still around and still not doing dialysis.
• In two weeks, it's the NFL draft. I'm 52 years old and I swear I am so excited for this year's draft. The Vikings draft 8th and I really really really hope they can get Johnny Manziel aka Johnny Football. To me, he is the second coming of Fran Tarkenton, a Viking great.  Two side notes, in the Mary Tyler Moore show's opening she is washing her car in a Tarkenton jersey. And let's not forget my recreation of the MTM hat toss in downtown Minneapolis.
  
  
  
  
• Also of note, Johnny Manziel went to Texas A&M. I use an oil consultant at work, Tom Walker. He's a heck of a nice guy and a Texas A&M grad, so I've heard a lot about Johnny Football these last two years. I'm a believer.
• Last night, me, Leslie and her friend Maryann went to an LA Kiss Arena Football game. Two things. They play in Anaheim, yet go by LA. And two, I was never a big Kiss fan. In fact, until yesterday, I believed that S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y. Night was a Kiss song. Turns out it is a Bay City Rollers song. Anyhow, Paul Stanley from Kiss, who owns the team, said a few words at halftime, in theory to celebrate the band's recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also note, that the Hall of Fame is in Cleveland but they have the induction ceremony in New York. What's up with that?  Paul Stanley sounded like an old bitter Jewish grandpa. Really odd speech that he gave. I will say this, it's kind of peaked my interest in reading his biography.Two beers, peanuts and a soft pretzel. Normal Saturday night...coming up on three years, Not so bad.

• If you're still reading, one last thing. We're up to almost $3,000 in donations for the BolderBoulder. Everyone's generosity is really overwhelming. The race is less than a month away, so I'm making a few final pleas/requests for donations. It's going to the Institute of Myeloma and Blood Cancer Research.  And here's your link.... http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/mattgoldman/teamgoldman